Parent engagement is our passion. Attending the national family and community engagement conference in Chicago in June was a treat in so many ways. From learning about Chicago’s community school efforts to being inspired by local and state leaders, we left re-charged to deliver on our mission to connect all those who raise, develop, and educate our children. We’d like to share some of the resources we’ll be utilizing as we continue our journey:

1. National guidance – There are leaders doing incredible things in just about every state in the nation. With limited funds, leaders are building frameworks and implementing action plans that impact each member of their school community. Many are using the US dual capacity framework as a starting point which can be found here: http://www2.ed.gov/documents/family-community/partners-education.pdf
2. Best practices – Great resources from the National Family and Community Engagement Network (FCE) can be found here: http://www.fcenetwork.iel.org/page/best-practices or follow them on twitter: @fcenetwork
3. Passionate interaction – Join the conversation on twitter: #ptchat weekly on Wednesdays 9 pm EST
4. Great idea! – Connecticut State Department of Education’s networking initiative: fridaycafe.org

Thank you to the Institute for Educational Leadership for putting on an amazing conference and pulling together so many passionate leaders. We can’t wait to apply this year’s learnings and see everyone next year!